The Latest: New Yorkers rally against police shooting | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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The Latest: New Yorkers rally against police shooting

Clinton Dyer, a neighborhood resident, interrupts community leaders speaking Thursday April 5, 2018 at a vigil for Saheed Vassell, a 34 year old welder and father of a teenage son who was fatally shot by the NYPD Wednesday afternoon, shouting repeatedly "he was innocent," in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Original Publication Date April 05, 2018 - 8:01 AM

NEW YORK - The Latest on the fatal New York City police shooting of a man who was brandishing a metal pipe (all times local):

9:45 p.m.

Hundreds of New Yorkers have rallied in protest of the police shooting of a man who was brandishing an object that officers thought was a gun.

The protesters lit candles and left flowers at the Thursday night vigil in the Crown Heights neighbourhood of Brooklyn where Saheed Vassell was shot seven to nine times after police say he crouched and pointed a metal pipe at responding officers.

The victim's mother, Lorna Vassell, thanked the crowd and said her son came from a good home.

The protesters then marched to a nearby police precinct, shouting "no justice, no peace!"

Wednesday night's shooting happened as officers were responding to 911 callers reporting a man pointing a gun at people.

Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH'-zee-oh) called the shooting a "tragedy" and said Vassell had "a profound mental health problem."

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1:45 p.m.

The New York Police Department says security video backs up claims a man killed by officers threatened people with what appeared at the time to be a gun.

The video released Thursday shows Saheed Vassell aggressively pointing an object at pedestrians that turned out to be an L-shaped piece of pipe.

Five officers responded to three 911 calls from a Brooklyn neighbourhood on Wednesday about a man with a silver handgun. Police say four officers fired 10 rounds at Vassell after he crouched and pointed the object at them.

A tense crowd gathered after the shooting, with some people shouting at officers.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news conference that the shooting was "a tragedy by any measure." He said Vassell had "a profound mental health problem."

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12:30 p.m.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says the police shooting of a man who was brandishing a metal pipe was "a tragedy by any measure."

De Blasio said Thursday that Saheed Vassell had "a profound mental health problem." But, he didn't lay blame on the officers.

The Democratic mayor says people in the community thought Vassell had a weapon and was aiming it at residents.

He and police officials said officers had to make a quick decision and were unaware of Vassell's history of mental illness.

The mayor said police would disclose the contents of 911 calls and any video of the incident.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's (SHNEYE'-dur-muhnz) office is investigating.

Schneiderman spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick says in a statement that the office is committed to "an independent, comprehensive and fair investigation."

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11 a.m.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (SHNEYE'-dur-muhn) is investigating the death of a Brooklyn man shot by officers who mistook a metal pipe for a gun.

Schneiderman said Thursday that his office is committed to "an independent, comprehensive and fair investigation."

The office has the power to investigate police-involved deaths of unarmed people.

A tense crowd gathered after Saheed Vassell was killed around 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Crown Heights neighbourhood of Brooklyn.

The New York Times reports that police had encountered the man before and classified him as emotionally disturbed.

Chief of Department Terence Monahan says Vassell "took a two-handed shooting stance" and "pointed an object at the approaching officers" who'd been summoned by 911 calls about a man with a gun.

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8:50 a.m.

The New York Police Department says officers responding to reports of a man threatening people with a gun fatally shot a man carrying a metal pipe, mistaking it for a firearm.

Police say 34-year-old Saheed Vassell was killed around 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Crown Heights neighbourhood of Brooklyn.

The New York Times says a tense crowd gathered as police investigated the shooting.

It says police had encountered the man before and classified him as emotionally disturbed.

Chief of Department Terence Monahan says five officers responded after three 911 callers reported a man "pointing a silver firearm at people on the street."

Monahan says Vassell "took a two-handed shooting stance" and "pointed an object at the approaching officers."

Four of the officers then fired a total of 10 rounds.

News from © The Associated Press, 2018
The Associated Press

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